Ouch!
by TwelfthofMay
Summary: The Marauders nurse their wounds after a full moon. One shot.


Author's Note: I wrote this little collection of shorts when I realized just how banged up they must get during their frolics and trying to contain Remus. Fun stuff. I tried to keep them all in character in their own methods of nursing their wounds. Enjoy!

Remus turned the tap to cold and let the water gush until it was icy. He rolled up his sleeve carefully and winced as the rather scratchy fabric brushed his open wound; a deep abrasion on his forearm that had just recently stopped bleeding. Remus knew at once who had caused the wound; it was a perfect semi-circle and Remus could count all of Sirius's teeth marks.

Leaning over the porcelain sink slightly, Remus warily rinsed his wound clean. The cold water made him shiver, but it did help ease the pain. Remus felt his skin prickle in goose bumps as he rinsed his wound free.

With a quick tap of his wand on the wound, he watched the bite marks shrink before his eyes.

Remus stared at himself in the mirror. His skin still felt too small for his body and it was as if every inch of him itched. His cheeks were rosy with color as though he had just run a long distance, he had dark circles under his eyes and his robe was torn across his chest. He flexed his hand and examined it almost as if he were expecting to see claws.

He adjusted his crimson and gold tie before tapping his robes with his wand. He watched threads weave themselves sloppily into place. He was never any good at magical mending.

Remus examined himself in the mirror again. He looked extremely pouty and ill. He forced his face into a smile. It looked so fake that Remus's face almost immediately fell. Or maybe it was because of his disgust.

-

"Hate full moons..hate full moons.." Peter chanted over and over as he stirred his collapsible cauldron on the boy's bathroom floor. He peered over the edge and saw that his potion was bubbling. Not a good sign. Peter grimaced. He should've asked Remus for help. Or James. Or Sirius. But he couldn't admit that he was weak.

Peter scanned the page in his textbook on healing potions and frowned. It wasn't supposed to be bubbling. Peter retracted a spoonful of potion and poured it back in slowly. The watery liquid slid back into the cauldron with the viscosity of honey. It wasn't supposed to be that thick.

Peter winced. He needed to be quick with this potion. His foot was swollen so tightly that his shoes were too small. He remembered clearly the hoof that had slammed down onto his tiny, dainty little foot. He was lucky it wasn't broken and just swollen.

Peter tore his shoe from his foot and threw it against the stone castle wall. It landed with a flump and rolled over a few times. He yanked off his sock and threw it as well. His foot was purple and he was sure he could see it throbbing with pain.

Peter glanced at his watch. The potion should be done. He dipped a vial into his cauldron and filled it. He looked at the liquid inside for a moment. Right color, still a little bubbly, and a little too thick. Well, one out of three was a good enough for Peter. He was in too much pain to start over.

He brought the vial to his foot and gently poured the contents over his foot, coating it in piping hot potion. At first it seemed like nothing had happened, but after a closer look Peter realized his foot was drinking up the potion like a thirsty sponge.

But his foot didn't shrink back to normal size. It didn't even stop swelling. Quite the opposite. Peter's foot ballooned and the sudden swelling caused Peter to yelp in pain.

Peter flicked his wand and packed up his cauldron and materials and tucked them under his arms.

He frowned at his enlarged foot and got to his feet painfully. He half hobbled, half dragged himself over to the bathroom door and out into the hallway.

Peter whined as he made his way towards the Hospital Wing"One out of three. Not good odds."

-

Sirius drew the curtains around his four-poster bed and threw a pillow out of his way.

Sirius dumped the contents of his pockets onto his bed where it spilled out like a rainbow of shiny objects, sweets, and rumpled pieces of paper. Candle stubs, Honeydukes candy, Honeydukes wrappers, a note from Prongs, a broken quill, a bottle of ink, and-oh yes there it was.

Sirius spotted the transparent vial he had swiped from the potion master's stores nestled between some wrappers of Drooble's Best Blowing Bubble Gum. Sirius snatched it from the pile and held it up for a closer look.

The vial was corked with a blue cork and the liquid inside was wet and splashy. It rocked very easily when it was shaken and had a pearly look to it. Sirius bit his lip. He hoped he had nicked the correct vial and not acid.

Sirius leaned back against the headboard. Sirius shook the thick black robe from his shoulders and loosed his tie. He pulled his shirt up a bit and exposed his stomach. Slightly to the left of his navel was a particularly painful scuff from one of James's antlers. It wasn't deep, and it was more of a scratch than a puncture.

Sirius looked at the vial again and rotated it between his fingers and considered. What were the odds of him choosing this one out of all of those vials? They were against him, that was for sure.

Sirius shrugged. He had had worse odds.

He uncorked the vial and poured the liquid over his abrasion. Sirius stared intently at the wound. After a tense moment, the wound shrank and disappeared completely. Sirius let his head fall against the bed.

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. Why had he doubted?

In the dungeons, the potions master angrily clutched a fist. He turned to his young apprentice.

"Severus! My phoenix tears are missing"

-

"James! That's a right awful bite you have on your hand" Lily said as she held James's palm out flat. She pointed to the small ring of teeth marks"What kind of animal bit you"

"A first year's cat did" James replied smoothly.

"Hmm" Lily said doubtfully"Looks like a rat bite."

James blinked.

"You could heal that in a heartbeat, James" Lily said.

She produced her wand from her robe pocket and tapped James's hand with the tip. The wound shrank.

James smiled"Thank-you, Nurse Lily. Madame Pompfrey had better watch her job."

Color crept into Lily's cheeks.

James opened his mouth as if to say something.

"Don't think this means I'll go out with you" Lily cut him off sourly.

James shut his mouth with a snap.


End file.
